--- title: "FabCon Europe 2026: Dates, Venue, Keynote, Passes and Schedule" url: "https://atlan.com/know/microsoft-fabric/fabcon-europe-2026-guide/" description: "FabCon Europe 2026 runs Sept 28 to Oct 1 at the CCIB in Barcelona. See the day-by-day schedule, keynote, pass prices and sold-out status, travel, and hotels." author: "Emily Winks" author_role: "Data Governance Expert" published: "2026-09-28" updated: "2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z" --- --- FabCon Europe 2026 runs from September 28 to October 1, 2026 at the CCIB in Barcelona, as one combined event with SQLCon Europe, according to [ESPC's official event page (2026)](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/). You get a workshop day, three conference days, and 120+ to 130+ sessions depending on whether you read ESPC or [Microsoft's Fabric blog (2026)](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-fabric/blog/2026/06/25/fabcon-europe-2026-the-sessions-were-most-excited-to-bring-to-barcelona/), opening with a Microsoft keynote on Tuesday, September 29, per the [ESPC program](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/programme/). Most of the planning for this event is already decided for you. Two of the three passes are gone, the Wednesday party is ticketed on its own, and nothing is recorded, so where you sit each hour matters more than usual. * **One event, two names.** FabCon and SQLCon Europe share a venue, a program, and one set of passes, sold on a single [ESPC tickets page](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/tickets/). * **Only one pass is still on sale.** As listed on September 28, 2026, the 3 Day Conference pass remains, with the [tickets page](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/tickets/) warning that "Limited 3 Day Tickets Remain." * **Sessions are in-person only.** The [ESPC attendee FAQ](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/attendees/venue-and-faqs/) states plainly: "We do not record sessions." * **The keynote slot is fixed.** Tuesday, 08:45 to 10:45 CEST, titled "The Data Foundation for AI: What's Next in Microsoft Fabric," per the [program](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/programme/). | Field | Value | |---|---| | Event | FabCon Europe 2026, co-located with SQLCon Europe | | Dates | Monday, September 28 to Thursday, October 1, 2026 | | Venue | CCIB (Centre de Convencions Internacional de Barcelona), Diagonal Mar, Barcelona | | Keynote | Tuesday, September 29, 08:45 to 10:45 CEST | | Sessions / speakers | 120+ or 130+ sessions, 100+ speakers (the two official sources differ) | | Pass still on sale | 3 Day Conference, limited availability | | Registration status | Two of three pass types sold out (as listed September 28, 2026) | | Recordings | None; sessions are not recorded | --- ## When and where is FabCon Europe 2026 held? FabCon Europe 2026 takes place from Monday, September 28 to Thursday, October 1, 2026 at the Centre de Convencions Internacional de Barcelona (CCIB), in the city's Diagonal Mar district. It runs as one event with SQLCon Europe under the combined name FabCon + SQLCon Europe 2026, with tickets and program published on ESPC's official site. The venue is large. According to the [ESPC venue FAQ (2026)](https://espc.tech/venue-faq-fabcon26/), the CCIB offers nearly 100,000 m² of flexible space across two buildings, the Convention Centre and the Forum Auditorium, including a 3,000-seat auditorium and more than 40 meeting rooms. The SQLCon pairing matters if your work sits on the database side. [Microsoft's session preview (Microsoft Fabric blog, 2026)](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-fabric/blog/2026/06/25/fabcon-europe-2026-the-sessions-were-most-excited-to-bring-to-barcelona/) lists Azure SQL Hyperscale, SQL Server 2025 vector search, and Fabric Data Warehouse sessions next to the Fabric tracks. On scale, the two official sources give slightly different numbers, and neither one overrides the other: | Source | Sessions | Speakers | Tutorials | |---|---|---|---| | Microsoft Fabric blog, June 25, 2026 | 130+ | 100+ | 10+ | | ESPC official event page | 120+ | 100+ | 10+ | Both figures are floors, marked with a plus sign, and the [ESPC program](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/programme/) is the place to count individual sessions if the exact number matters to you. On audience, ESPC's event page describes the conference as bringing together "more than 4,000 Microsoft data professionals," and Microsoft's [2025 recap (Microsoft Fabric blog, 2025)](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-fabric/blog/2025/09/29/fabcon-europe-highlights-from-the-european-microsoft-fabric-community-conference-2025/) put last year's sold-out Vienna edition at more than 4,000 attendees. Microsoft is the headline sponsor and iLink Digital the diamond sponsor, per ESPC's [2026 sponsor list](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/sponsors/). FabCon also lands in a crowded fall calendar. If you are weighing it against other events, the [best AI conferences in 2026](https://atlan.com/know/ai-agent/best-ai-conferences-2026/) and the [context engineering conferences and events for 2026](https://atlan.com/know/ai-agent/context-engineering-conferences-events-2026/) cover what else is on the calendar, including the virtual [Context Conference](https://atlan.com/know/what-is-context-conference/) on October 28. --- ## What happens each day at FabCon Europe 2026? FabCon Europe 2026 follows a four-day shape: a Monday of full-day workshops and Partner Day, two full conference days built around the Tuesday keynote and the Wednesday Power Hour, and a Thursday that opens with Ask Me Anything panels. All times below come from the [ESPC program](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/programme/) and the [ESPC venue FAQ](https://espc.tech/venue-faq-fabcon26/). | Day | Date | Published hours | Highlights | |---|---|---|---| | Monday | September 28 | 09:00 to 17:00 | Full-day workshops and Partner Day (both pass types sold out) | | Tuesday | September 29 | 09:00 to 17:00 | Welcome 08:30; keynote 08:45 to 10:45; sessions; Expo Drinks 17:15 to 18:15 | | Wednesday | September 30 | 09:00 to 17:00 | Sessions from 08:45; Power Hour 16:30 to 18:00; party 20:00 to midnight (separate ticket) | | Thursday | October 1 | 09:00 to 16:15 | Ask Me Anything 09:15 to 10:15; sessions from 10:30 | [Microsoft's own preview](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-fabric/blog/2026/06/25/fabcon-europe-2026-the-sessions-were-most-excited-to-bring-to-barcelona/) groups the conference sessions into tracks: AI, data agents and Fabric IQ; real-time intelligence; data engineering, lakehouse and integration; data warehousing and Fabric SQL; SQL databases; and governance and security. The [FabCon Europe 2026 sessions picked by role](https://atlan.com/know/microsoft-fabric/fabcon-europe-2026-sessions-by-role/) narrow those tracks to the governance, security, and AI sessions. ### Monday, September 28: workshops and Partner Day Full-day workshops run 09:00 to 17:00. The [program](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/programme/) lists titles including "Building a Production-Ready Lakehouse in Microsoft Fabric" and "Building Production-Ready AI Data Solutions in Microsoft Fabric," both marked sold out, plus "Fabric Capacity Strategies that Build Confidence" and "Modernizing Your SQL Estate." Partner Day runs the same day, per the [ESPC tickets page](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/tickets/). Monday access comes only with the 4 Day + Tutorial or 4 Day Partner pass, and both are sold out, so a new registration starts on Tuesday. ### Tuesday, September 29: opening keynote and Expo Hall According to the [program](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/programme/), a welcome at 08:30 leads into the keynote from 08:45 to 10:45, and the main session blocks run from 11:15 to 17:15. Lunch, 12:15 to 13:30, is a networking lunch in the Expo Hall, alongside a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion lunch titled "Stronger Through Diversity: Building a Data Community Where Every Voice Belongs." The day closes with Expo Drinks from 17:15 to 18:15. ### Wednesday, September 30: Power Hour and the conference party Per the [program](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/programme/), sessions start earlier, at 08:45, with a networking lunch in the Expo Hall from 12:30 to 13:45. The Power Hour runs 16:30 to 18:00; the program lists no speakers for it. The evening conference party runs 20:00 to midnight at Sutton Club Barcelona, per the [program](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/programme/), with an open bar, food stations, and a DJ. It costs €110 plus VAT per person and is not included in any conference pass, so book it separately if you want to go. ### Thursday, October 1: Ask Me Anything and closing sessions Thursday opens with Ask Me Anything panels from 09:15 to 10:15, per the [program](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/programme/), on topics including SQL Server and Azure SQL, Power BI, Fabric Security, Data Integration, and Real-Time Intelligence and Fabric IQ. Session blocks follow at 10:30 and 12:00. The [venue FAQ](https://espc.tech/venue-faq-fabcon26/) lists Thursday hours as 09:00 to 16:15, so check the program for the final slots before booking a flight home. --- ## Who is speaking at the FabCon Europe 2026 keynote? The FabCon Europe 2026 opening keynote, "The Data Foundation for AI: What's Next in Microsoft Fabric," is scheduled for Tuesday, September 29, 08:45 to 10:45 CEST. The [ESPC program](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/programme/) lists three Microsoft speakers: Arun Ulag, Amir Netz, and Shireesh Thota. The program publishes no abstract, and nothing in the official sources says what will be announced. Until Microsoft publishes its own recap, there is nothing from the keynote to quote. The title itself is the one signal worth reading. It frames AI as a data problem first, the same starting point as an [AI-ready data assessment](https://atlan.com/know/ai-readiness/ai-ready-data/), [what makes data AI-ready](https://atlan.com/know/ai-agent/data-for-ai/what-makes-data-ai-ready/), or a review of [data architecture for AI](https://atlan.com/know/ai-readiness/data-architecture-ai/). [Microsoft's June preview](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-fabric/blog/2026/06/25/fabcon-europe-2026-the-sessions-were-most-excited-to-bring-to-barcelona/), written by Kim Manis, Corporate Vice President of Product for Microsoft Fabric and Power BI, puts AI, data agents and Fabric IQ first among its tracks. For product changes, Microsoft's [What's new in Microsoft Fabric (Microsoft Learn, 2026)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/fundamentals/whats-new) is the running record, listing features by preview or general availability status. It is the source to check before treating any keynote headline as shipped. --- ## How much do FabCon Europe 2026 passes cost, and are they sold out? Two of the three FabCon Europe 2026 passes are sold out: the 4 Day + Tutorial and the 4 Day Partner. According to the [ESPC tickets page (2026)](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/tickets/), the 3 Day Conference pass at €1,695 plus VAT is the one still on sale, and ESPC flags that limited tickets remain. | Pass | Price (before 21% VAT) | Includes | Status (September 28, 2026) | |---|---|---|---| | 3 Day Conference | €1,695 | Conference access Sept 29 to Oct 1, 120+ sessions, Expo Hall, meals and breaks, app schedule builder, networking events | Limited availability | | 4 Day + Tutorial | €1,895 | Everything above, plus a full-day pre-conference tutorial on September 28 | Sold out | | 4 Day Partner | €1,695 | Everything above, plus the Partner Day agenda on September 28 | Sold out, waitlist open | Spanish VAT of 21% applies to every booking, per the same tickets page. That puts the 3 Day Conference pass at €2,050.95 all-in, and the sold-out 4 Day + Tutorial at €2,292.95. The 3 Day pass does not include Monday, because workshops and Partner Day both sit on sold-out pass types. The Wednesday party costs €110 plus VAT per person on top of any pass, per the [program](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/programme/). If you hold a pass you can no longer use, the free transfer window has already closed: the [ESPC attendee FAQ](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/attendees/venue-and-faqs/) allows free ticket transfers "up to 15 days before the conference," which, counted from September 28, fell in mid-September. Slides are gated too. Per the same FAQ, uploaded slides are "viewable by the conference attendees only." If you are sending several people from one team, as part of an [AI center of excellence](https://atlan.com/know/ai-agent/ai-agent-governance/how-to-build-ai-center-of-excellence/) or a platform group, split the sessions between you in advance. With no recordings, a session nobody from your team attends is a session nobody from your team hears. --- ## How do I get to the CCIB in Barcelona, and where should I stay? The CCIB, the FabCon Europe 2026 venue, is about 20 km from Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport, 20 to 30 minutes by taxi, and roughly 20 minutes by metro from Plaça de Catalunya. The [ESPC venue FAQ (2026)](https://espc.tech/venue-faq-fabcon26/) lists four partner hotels with attendee codes or group rates. ### Getting to the CCIB from the airport and city center The nearest metro stop is El Maresme | Fòrum on line L4. The venue FAQ lists these routes: * From the airport by train and metro, about 50 minutes: R2 Nord from Terminal 2 to Barcelona-Sants, Metro L5 to Verdaguer, then L4 toward La Pau. * By Aerobús, about an hour: Aerobús to Plaça de Catalunya, then Bus H16 or Metro L4. * From Plaça de Catalunya, about 20 minutes: Metro L1 or L3 to a connection with L4 toward La Pau. * By car, take the C-31 motorway toward Barcelona and park near Plaça de Willy Brandt or the Diagonal Mar shopping center. The CCIB is fully accessible, with step-free access and elevators. A cloakroom and luggage storage are on site, which helps on Thursday if you are heading straight to the airport. ESPC provides lunch, coffee breaks, and snacks on tutorial and conference days. ### Hotels with FabCon Europe 2026 attendee discounts The [venue FAQ](https://espc.tech/venue-faq-fabcon26/) lists these partner hotels: * **Hotel Barcelona Princess:** code FABCON26. * **Hilton Diagonal Mar Barcelona:** preferred group rate, September 27 to October 1. * **Naitly Barcelona Poblenou:** code NAITLYFABCON, September 28 to October 1. * **Leonardo Royal Hotel Barcelona Forum:** code FabCon26. ESPC also points to Love Events for additional partner hotels across the city. --- ## Planning your FabCon Europe 2026 sessions by theme With the 3 Day pass the last one on sale and no recordings to fall back on, the decision still open at FabCon Europe 2026 is which sessions your team attends. The themes below follow the session titles in [Microsoft's June preview (Microsoft Fabric blog, 2026)](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-fabric/blog/2026/06/25/fabcon-europe-2026-the-sessions-were-most-excited-to-bring-to-barcelona/); the reading column is background on each topic, not a substitute for the session. | Theme | Sessions Microsoft highlights | Background reading | |---|---|---| | Data agents | "Build the next generation of intelligent data agents in Microsoft Fabric"; "Building Enterprise AI Agents on Microsoft Fabric: Architecture, Security and Production Lessons" | [How to build an AI agent harness](https://atlan.com/know/how-to-build-ai-agent-harness/); [securing multi-agent systems](https://atlan.com/know/ai-agent/ai-agent-governance/how-to-secure-multi-agent-systems-enterprise/); [AI agent governance](https://atlan.com/know/ai-agent-governance/); [Semantic Kernel](https://atlan.com/know/ai-agent/microsoft/semantic-kernel/); [Microsoft Agent Framework](https://atlan.com/know/ai-agent/microsoft/agent-framework/) | | Fabric IQ and Foundry | "Fabric IQ End-to-End: The Complete Enterprise AI Platform"; "Fabric IQ + Foundry: The Semantic Backbone of Enterprise AI Agents" | [What is a semantic layer](https://atlan.com/know/semantic-layer/); [what is a context graph](https://atlan.com/know/what-is-a-context-graph/); [Gartner on context graphs](https://atlan.com/know/gartner-context-graphs/); [what is context engineering](https://atlan.com/know/what-is-context-engineering/); [context layer for AI agents](https://atlan.com/know/context-layer-for-ai-agents/); [Azure AI Foundry](https://atlan.com/know/ai-agent/microsoft/azure-ai-foundry/); [Foundry agent blueprints](https://atlan.com/know/ai-agent/microsoft/azure-ai-foundry-agent-blueprints/); [building an agent with Azure AI Foundry](https://atlan.com/know/ai-agent/microsoft/how-to-build-an-agent-with-azure-ai-foundry/) | | Lakehouse and OneLake | "Zero-Copy, Multi-Cloud Fabric: OneLake Shortcuts + Mirroring as the Fast Track to AI and Real-Time" | [Data lakehouse for AI](https://atlan.com/know/ai-agent/data-for-ai/data-lakehouse-for-ai/); [role of metadata management in enterprise AI](https://atlan.com/know/ai-readiness/role-of-metadata-management-in-enterprise-ai/) | | Governance and security | "OneLake security: deep dive and what's new"; "Securing Your Data Estate with Purview" | [Zero trust data governance](https://atlan.com/know/zero-trust-data-governance/); [data governance vs AI governance](https://atlan.com/know/data-governance-vs-ai-governance/); [context layer for data governance teams](https://atlan.com/know/ai-agent/context-layer-for-data-governance-teams/); [data governance taxonomy](https://atlan.com/know/ai-agent/ai-agent-governance/data-governance-taxonomy/) | Real-time intelligence, data warehousing, and SQL sessions fill much of the rest of the program, and the Thursday Ask Me Anything panels cover several of the same topics in an open-question format. Pick those by the problem your team is working on this quarter, and build the plan in the event app's schedule builder, which every pass includes. Atlan's Know Hub also keeps explainers on [Microsoft Fabric](https://atlan.com/microsoft-fabric/), [Microsoft Fabric use cases](https://atlan.com/microsoft-fabric-use-cases/), and [Copilot in Microsoft Fabric](https://atlan.com/microsoft-fabric-copilot/) for teams comparing notes after the event. --- ## FAQs about FabCon Europe 2026 ### 1. What is the difference between FabCon Europe and SQLCon Europe? FabCon Europe centers on Microsoft Fabric and SQLCon Europe on SQL topics such as SQL Server and Azure SQL, and in 2026 they run as one combined event at the CCIB in Barcelona. They share a venue, a program, and one set of passes sold on a single tickets page. ### 2. How many sessions and speakers does FabCon Europe 2026 have? Microsoft's Fabric blog lists 130+ sessions, 100+ speakers, and 10+ tutorials, while ESPC's official event page lists 120+ sessions, 100+ speakers, and 10+ tutorials. Both are minimum figures, and the published program is the place to count individual sessions. ### 3. How many people attended FabCon Europe 2025 in Vienna? More than 4,000 people attended FabCon Europe 2025 in Vienna, which Microsoft's recap describes as a sold-out event. ESPC uses the same "more than 4,000" figure to describe the conference's audience. ### 4. Is there a virtual or livestream option for FabCon Europe 2026? No official source lists a virtual pass or livestream for FabCon Europe 2026. ESPC's attendee FAQ states that sessions are not recorded, and uploaded slides are available to conference attendees only. ### 5. Can I transfer my FabCon Europe 2026 ticket to someone else? Yes, but the free window has passed. ESPC allows free ticket transfers up to 15 days before the conference, which counted from the September 28 start fell in mid-September; contact ESPC directly about transfers after that date. ### 6. Is Atlan sponsoring or exhibiting at FabCon Europe 2026? No. Atlan does not appear on the official FabCon Europe 2026 sponsor list published by ESPC, which names Microsoft as headline sponsor and iLink Digital as diamond sponsor. --- ## Sources 1. [FabCon + SQLCon Europe 2026, official event page, ESPC](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/) 2. [FabCon Europe 2026 Programme, ESPC](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/programme/) 3. [FabCon and SQLCon Europe 2026 tickets, ESPC](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/tickets/) 4. [FabCon + SQLCon Europe 2026 venue FAQ, ESPC](https://espc.tech/venue-faq-fabcon26/) 5. [FabCon + SQLCon Europe 2026 attendee FAQs, ESPC](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/attendees/venue-and-faqs/) 6. [FabCon + SQLCon Europe 2026 sponsors, ESPC](https://espc.tech/conference/fabcon-europe-2026/sponsors/) 7. [FabCon Europe 2026: The sessions we're most excited to bring to Barcelona, Microsoft Fabric blog (June 25, 2026)](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-fabric/blog/2026/06/25/fabcon-europe-2026-the-sessions-were-most-excited-to-bring-to-barcelona/) 8. [FabCon Europe highlights from the European Microsoft Fabric Community Conference 2025, Microsoft Fabric blog (September 29, 2025)](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-fabric/blog/2025/09/29/fabcon-europe-highlights-from-the-european-microsoft-fabric-community-conference-2025/) 9. [What's new in Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/fundamentals/whats-new)